Blue Planet
Issue 3 • December 2013
ATLANTIC ODYSSEY The Argonauts have landed
Panama where time never stands still
European Odyssey takes wing Focus on seabirds Women and cruising
The Oceans – Our Heritage for the Future
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Atlantic Odyssey launches joint research program with UNESCO The sailors taking part in the Atlantic Odyssey made a practical contribution to a research program under the aegis of UNESCO by launching four buoys used for oceanographic observations. The first of four drifter buoys was deployed when Mercredi Soir reached 30°W. Moxie’s buoy went walkabout at 35°W, Fleur de Sel’s was launched at 40°W and Antaviana’s at 45°W. This is the first time ever that sailors in a rally have played an active role in a scientific research program. The Atlantic Odyssey was described by one of the researchers as a testbed for the Blue Planet Odyssey. Participation in such scientific projects will be the hallmark of all our events and the success of the first Atlantic Odyssey bodes well for next year’s edition, which will include the European starters in the Blue Planet Odyssey. The first of the Atlantic Odyssey yachts to arrive in Martinique was the Italian Gemm. Martinique describes itself as the flower of the Caribbean and the welcome put on for Gemm fully justified that claim. Hosted by Port le Marin, this marina complex pulled out all stops to provide participants in this new transatlantic rally with an unforgettable image of hospitality. The Deputy Mayor of Le Marin and members of the tourism office were on the dock to welcome the Italian crew with local gifts and rum punches, and, not to be outdone, the marina extended the free docking period to 10 days. It was this kind of reception that awaited every one of the boats as they made landfall. Just as heartening was to see this new odyssey generating its own image and personality. It was quite remarkable to watch how quickly a palpable family atmosphere developed among the crews of the first Atlantic Odyssey boats to arrive for the start in Marina Lanzarote. The 16 children among the participants soon fused into an inseparable band as they forged their own lingua franca from their several mother tongues. The adults followed the young Argonauts example, and visits to the Planetarium and Timanfaya volcanic park sealed that community feeling as did the live liferaft and helicopter SAR demonstrations followed by a three day blue water seminar that covered all essential aspects of long distance cruising. Those links continued during the Atlantic crossing among those who had had the foresight to include in their communications system a SSB transceiver. The presence of satphones on many boats somewhat made up for its absence. In spite of an initial problem with the satellite tracking devices installed on every boat before the start, the system was soon put right enabling all individual positions to be shown regularly on the Atlantic Odyssey website to the delight of families and friends back home. A spell of westerly winds, virtually unheard of in those latitudes at this time of year, slowed down the fleet considerably. Some boats were forced to divert to the Cape Verdes either for fuel or to drop crew who had not counted on such a long crossing. The absence of the usual trade winds for part of the crossing may well be another sign of climate change. Both the participants and our generous hosts in Martinique agree that the first Atlantic Odyssey has been a resounding success and our attention can turn now to the January start of Atlantic Odyssey II from Lanzarote to Grenada, which will be reported in the next issue of the Blue Planet Log.
Team Cornell Sailing: Jimmy and Gwenda Cornell, Kathy Parsons, Doina Cornell, Roger Watson Pascal Guiraudou, Klaus Hympendahl, John Ellis
4 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
L’Atlantic Odyssey lance un programme de recherche conjoint avec l’UNESCO Les navigateurs qui ont pris part à l’Atlantic Odyssey ont apporté une contribution pratique à un programme de recherche sous l’égide de L’UNESCO, en déployant quatre bouées d’observations océanographiques. La première de ces bouées dérivantes a été déployée par Mercredi Soir quand il a atteint 30°W. La bouée de Moxie est partie vagabonder à 35°W, celle de Fleur de Sel à 40°W et Antaviana a largué la sienne à 45°W. C’est la toute première fois que des navigateurs participant à un rallye jouent un rôle actif dans un programme de recherche scientifique. L’un des chercheurs a décrit l’Atlantic Odyssey comme un banc d’essai pour le Blue Planet Odyssey. La participation à de tels projets scientifiques sera la marque distinctive de tous nos événements et le succès de ce premier Atlantic Odyssey est de bonne augure pour la prochaine édition, à laquelle se joindront les bateaux du Blue Planet Odyssey partant d’Europe. Le premier des bateaux de l’Atlantic Odyssey à arriver en Martinique a été l’italien Gemm. La Martinique se présente comme la fleur des Caraïbes, et l’accueil réservé à Gemm justifie pleinement ce qualificatif. Le Port du Marin, plus grand centre nautique des Caraïbes, a tout mis en œuvre pour offrir aux participants de ce nouveau rallye transatlantique une image d’hospitalité inoubliable. L’adjoint au Maire du Marin et les membres de l’office du tourisme étaient sur le quai pour accueillir l’équipage italien avec des cadeaux locaux et du rhum, et, pour ne pas être en reste, la marina a étendu la gratuité de l’amarrage à 10 jours. Et chaque bateau qui a atterri ici a reçu le même accueil. Il a été tout aussi encourageant de voir cette nouvelle odyssée générer sa propre image et sa propre personnalité. C’était assez remarquable d’observer avec quelle rapidité une ambiance familiale palpable s’est développée parmi les équipages des premiers bateaux de l’Atlantic Odyssey arrivés pour prendre le départ à Marina Lanzarote. Les 14 enfants parmi les participants ont vite formé une bande inséparable en inventant leur propre langue à partir de leurs langues maternelles respectives. Les adultes ont suivi l’exemple de ces jeunes argonautes, et les visites du Planétarium et du parc volcanique de Timanfaya ont scellé ce sentiment de communauté, tout comme les démonstrations de radeau de survie et de l’hélicoptère SAR, suivies par un séminaire de trois jours consacré à la grande croisière qui en a couvert tous les aspects essentiels. Ces liens ont continué pendant la traversée de l’Atlantique entre ceux qui avaient eu la bonne idée d’inclure une radio BLU dans leur équipements de communication. Beaucoup de ceux qui n’avaient pas de BLU on pu compenser partiellement ce manque par leur téléphone satellite. Malgré un problème initial avec les balises de localisation par satellite, qui avaient été installées sur chaque bateau avant le départ, le système a vite été rétabli permettant de montrer les positions individuelles régulièrement sur le site web de l’Atlantic Odyssey, à la grande joie des familles et des amis restés à la maison. Une période de vents d’ouest, quasiment jamais observés sous ces latitudes à cette période de l’année, a considérablement ralenti la flotte des bateaux. Certains ont été contraints de se dérouter sur le Cap Vert, soit pour faire le plein de carburant, soit pour débarquer des équipiers qui n’avaient pas prévu une traversée aussi longue. L’absence des alizés habituels pendant une partie de la traversée pourrait bien être un signe supplémentaire du changement climatique. Les participants ainsi que nos généreux hôtes en Martinique s’accordent tous à dire que cette première Atlantic Odyssey a été un succès retentissant, et nous pouvons maintenant porter notre attention sur le départ de l’Atlantic Odyssey II en janvier, de Lanzarote vers Grenade, que nous couvrirons dans le prochain numéro du Blue Planet Log.
Logbook
ATLANTIC ODYSSEY
06 The Argonauts Take to the Seas
Atlantic Odyssey report
10 Global Drifters
The Atlantic Odyssey deploy drifter buoys
PANAMA
12 Where time never stands still 13 Meeting the Guna 14 The New Canal
BLUE PLANET ODYSSEY
15 Southern Route 16 Northern Route 18 European Odyssey
New event launched
22 Seabirds
Focus your cameras
24 Women and Cruising 28 News from the BPO Explorers 30 Long Distance Cruising Seminar
March 2014 London Seminar
Next issue: April 2014 •
Atlantic Odyssey II
•
Satellite Phones
•
Galapagos and Marquesas
Madame Karine Roy-Camille, Présidente du Comité Martiniquais du Tourisme avec Jimmy Cornell
Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 5
Atlantic Odyssey start
Atlantic Odyssey yachts in Marina Lanzarote
after all, it was the taking part that counted not the winning
Doina Cornell
Atlantic Odyssey report –
the Argonauts take to the seas Eureka’s safety inspection
A
fleet of 22 sailing yachts flying the flags of 11 nations, with crews of 20 nationalities, gathered in the new Marina Lanzarote for the start of the first Atlantic Odyssey. The blue Odyssey banners flew in the breeze and crews walked the pontoons looking smart in their rally t-shirts with the
slogan Sail the Odyssey on their backs. Safety is an essential part of the event, and each yacht received a rigorous safety inspection by one of the Atlantic Odyssey team, themselves all experienced cruising sailors. The highlight perhaps was the inspection of Hungarian yacht Duck, done by Jimmy Cornell himself, in … Hungarian. Respite from the chores of getting ready to cross 3000 miles of ocean came with an active social programme spread across the fortnight before the start. The Real Club Nautico de Arrecife opened its doors for a welcome party, sailors and locals making friends over a glass or two of Lanzarote wine and some excellent Spanish tapas. The club also hosted a three-day preparatory seminar that was open to all cruising sailors whether in the Atlantic Odyssey or not, ranging from the tactics of a transatlantic passage, given by Jimmy Cornell, to Dr Nick Carter’s advice on dealing with medical emergencies at sea, and Klaus Hympendahl’s presentation on the threat of piracy around the world. Tomas Wibberenz of Parasailor gave a talk on downwind sails as well
6 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
Children find the stones near the surface are almost too hot to hold
Trips were laid on to the local Planetarium, while the club swimming pool was also popular” All 14 children squeezed into the raft… accompanied by much merriment
as offering bespoke rigging advice to any
launched, followed by a dramatic night-
by Spaniard Javier Visiers’ Antaviana and
skipper who requested it. Martin Kramp
time rescue simulation by helicopter as
Sudoeste, a New Zealand yacht, skippered
from JCOMMOPS briefed participants on
crew members were winched to safety
by Jonathan Ash.
the drifter buoy programme (see page 10
from a vessel.
Others took the start in a more leisurely
for more details).
The delights of the beautiful island of
style, in true cruising fashion. They knew
To
participants
Lanzarote were not forgotten, as the
they’d get there in the end, as after all, it
entertained, trips were laid on to the local
keep
the
younger
sailors took an island tour, including a
was the taking part that counted not the
Planetarium, while the club swimming
visit to the National Park of Timanfaya
winning.
pool was also popular. The Atlantic
and its strange landscape of solidified
The yachts headed southwest away from
Odyssey sponsors Puerto Calero Marinas
lava punctuated by hissing geysers.
the Canaries, taking the same initial route
organised a successful evening on the
The last days before the start were taken
as Columbus more than five hundred
theme of women and cruising, moderated
up by final preparations and provisioning.
years ago, and expecting to find the
by author Kathy Parsons and local RYA
Each boat was fitted with a satellite
tradewinds somewhere near the Cape
Instructor Stephanie Charlton. Women
tracking device so their progress could
Verdes. Social media came alive as family
took part in an open-ended discussion,
be followed online during the crossing.
and friends watched the fleet’s progress
sharing practical tips and ideas how to
A brisk northeasterly wind was blowing
online and checked for daily updates.
combat real concerns such as seasickness
as the yachts made their way to the
The winds meanwhile, remained light,
or feeling confined on a small boat.
start on November 17. Although the
and those leading the fleet reported
Returning to more sober reality, the
Atlantic Odyssey is not a competitive
no sign of the trade winds. The fishing
following day saw a comprehensive
event, race fever gripped a few. Australian
was good though, as they hauled in tuna
search and rescue demonstration take
Michael Thurston on Drina, beginning
and dorado, and even a monster marlin
place off the breakwater fronting Arrecife.
his fifth transatlantic crossing, was the
– though that one got away. Two weeks
A liferaft was inflated onshore and then
first across the line, closely shadowed
into the crossing, and the hoped-for
Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 7
Jose Calero, owner of Puerto Calero Marinas, and Philippe Volny-Anne, President of the Martinique Yacht Club, representing the Regional Council of Martinique steady winds still failed to materialise. A low pressure system swept through, bringing a spell of westerly winds that slowed down the boats even more. Several yachts had to make a stopover in the Cape Verdes to refuel, make repairs and crew changes. Sail the Odyssey said the t-shirts. Well, it turned out to be even more of an odyssey than anyone could have expected. Let the sailors tell the story in their own words… Day 3: Oceis: not feeling sea sick, enjoying beautiful moments with some dolphins. We’re settling into watches, but feel a bit lost not seeing any boats around us. Day 5: Sudoeste: We’re having a good passage so far. Roast New Zealand lamb for dinner last night, but no fish hooked yet! Day 7: Gemm: We’re cooking Italian pizza! We hope the wind will keep blowing! Day 10: Fleur de Sel: Wind, 3 knots; Speed, 0. We are stopped, making a Secchi Disk, and swimming…. No wind since last night so we wait. Vieux Malin, Cape Verdes: New crew arriving today. Then, we shall wait for the trades. Eureka sailed off yesterday morning, just to float, adrift in the middle of the ocean. Day 11:
Emily’s Dorado on Sudoeste enough for a meal!
Argo: Caught 50 lb dorado and saw a pod of whales. Made friends with a large whale. Day 13:
Muskat: 600 miles to go and we are
Moxie: Currently sailing SSE direction, which is backwards but it’s the best we can do.
more and more focused on landfall at
The alternative is bashing to windward into the low pressure. Have been studying
Martinique. Things like a cool beer comes
pilot charts - the chance of these conditions in November based on the last 20 years
to mind. Nevertheless we are spending
observations, virtually nil.
time playing cards, reading, watching
Day 20:
films or just looking at the sea or the sky.
Blue Pearl: Yesterday the wind left us completely. We heard on the SSB that Argo and
Selkie: We are moving along but winds
Capibara north of our position had no wind at all and were drifting. The disappointment
are still light. We decided to have a
is recognisable in their voice, so sorry for them.
twenty days at sea party with pancakes and a Christmas movie later for the kids. Day 22: Blue Pearl: Now we got fair winds! Argo and Capibara reported they were very happy. Caught a large mahimahi, lucky we have a freezer. Moxie: Things have gotten quite a bit more lively, we’re trucking along, the roar of the wake, a mini rooster tail forming behind, occasional waves paying a cheeky visit to the cockpit, grin ear to ear. Everyone else asleep - just me and the sea.
Mike, Asia and Aranya Beck on Moxie deploy the drifter buoy in the rain 8 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
Crew of Gemm with Deputy Mayor of Le Marin, Raymond Janvier
Happy Joss arrives with a rainbow
Oliver and Nesa on Blue Pearl are happy to arrive
Some of the Argonauts!
Port du Marin The third week of the crossing saw the trades finally make an appearance, while Port du Marin in Martinique prepared to welcome the first arrivals. Gemm, an Italian Swan 55 skippered by Vincenzo Visenzi, arrived on 7 December, after twenty days, followed the next day by German Happy Joss skippered by Rudolf Hart who arrived in style, crossing the line under a magnificent rainbow. As the rest of the fleet made landfall safely, a warm Caribbean welcome awaited them on the dockside. Those nervous sailors leaving Lanzarote had turned into tanned and confident oceangoing mariners, glad to step ashore onto dry land. Their personal odyssey was over, and now it was time to celebrate. The Atlantic Odyssey is sponsored in the Canary Islands by Puerto Calero Marinas, and in Martinique by the Conseil Régional de Martinique.
Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 9
Atlantic Odyssey and Blue Planet Odyssey Fleets to Deploy
Dr. Rick Lumpkin
Global Drifters
D
uring the Atlantic Odyssey starting in November, a
number of drifting NOAA buoys were deployed for
the first time from a sailing rally fleet. These drifters will become part of NOAA’s global drifter array, managed by the Global Drifter Program (GDP; www.aoml. noaa.gov/phod/dac/). The GDP manages a global 5º×5º array of over 1000 satellite-tracked drifters and provides a data processing system for the operational and scientific use of the observations they collect. These drifters were deployed in small numbers starting in 1979 in the tropical Pacific, to study current changes associated with El Niño events. Large-scale deployments started in 1988 across the tropical Pacific, and were extended to cover the Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans by 1992 and the
NOAA oceanographer Dr Rick Lumpkin with a surface drifter in Miami, FL. The surface float is at lower right; the blue holey-sock drogue has been unwrapped and stretched out for this photograph (the paper tape wrap is left in place for deployments at sea).
Southern and Indian Oceans by 1994. The array expanded to include the tropical and South Atlantic Ocean by 2004, and now spans all the world’s oceans.
10 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
The Global Drifter Array on 18 November 2013. Red dots: drifters measuring currents and temperature; blue dots: as with red, plus barometric pressure; green dots: as with blue, plus salinity.
A drifter consists of a surface float connected by a tether to a drogue (sea anchor). The float contains alkaline batteries, a satellite transmitter, a thermistor to measure sea surface temperature, a tether strain sensor to verify the presence of the drogue, and sometimes other instruments measuring barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, and salinity. The nylon cloth “holey sock” drogue is centered at 15 meters beneath the surface to measure mixed layer currents in the upper ocean. Throughout the drogue, rigid rings with spokes support the drogue’s cylindrical shape. Each drifter weighs 20 kg (44 lbs). Before deployment, the drogue and tether are bound with paper tape, which dissolves in the water, and the tether is sometimes wrapped around a water-soluble cardboard tube to protect it from kinking. The drifter is deployed by throwing it from the stern of a vessel. After deployment, the paper tape dissolves and the drogue sinks to its
Erik Valdes of NOAA’s Global Drifter Program deploys a drifter from the stern of the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown. The instrument has been designed to be easy to deploy by one person.
target depth. Data from the buoys is relayed via satellite to ground stations and
(www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/soop). The organisers of the Blue
put on the Global Telecommunication System for use in weather
Planet Odyssey and Atlantic Odyssey are working in partnership
forecasting and climate state estimation purposes. Their data
with NOAA and JCOMMOPS (the Joint Technical Commission of
are quality-controlled at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and
the World Meteorological Organization and Intergovernmental
Meteorological Laboratory (www.aoml.noaa.gov) and included
Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO) which is particularly
in climate-quality data sets of ocean currents, temperatures and
exciting as it will offer deployment opportunities in new regions
salinities.
of the ocean, some currently poorly sampled, and will not expose
The GDP relies on national and international partners to
the drifters to the shock of being deployed up to 10m from the
conduct the over 1000 deployments per year needed to
sea surface at speeds of 25 kts, as is typical from cargo vessels
maintain the global drifter array. In the past, most deployments
and may be a leading cause of early instrument failures.
were conducted from oceanographic research ships and from
Updated maps indicating where drifters are needed can be seen
cargo ships participating in the Ships of Opportunity Program
at http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/dac/doc_valuemaps.php.
Atlantic Odyssey
Update T he Atlantic Odyssey yachts Mercredi Soir, Moxie,
Antaviana and Fleur de Sel were chosen to deploy the first four drifter buoys in the inaugural Atlantic Odyssey which left Lanzarote on
17 November 2013. The buoys were successfully deployed
by the yachts at the specific latitudes of 30ºW, 35ºW, 40ºW and 45ºW and began to transmit their data back to the central database.
Atlantic Odyssey coordinator Pascal Guiraudou with Pierre, Isabelle, Julia and Romane Lachapelle from Fleur de Sel and Martin Kramp, JCOMMOPS Ship Coordinator
Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 11
Round the world fleet transiting the Panama Canal
Jimmy Cornell
Panama
where time never stands still
L
When I first transited the
a large fleet across to the Pacific could
boats. The fact that I spoke Spanish may
Panama Canal in 1977 it was
take two or three weeks, if not more, I
have helped because when I asked for his
still under US administration,
flew to Panama a few months before
support in getting our 32 boats through
cruising
a
the arrival of the fleet, and managed
as quickly as possible, he generously
negligible minority, a fraction of the
to get an appointment with Jorge de la
agreed to give us a lockage dedicated to
roughly 1,000 yachts that nowadays
Guardia, the Administrator of the Panama
just our yachts. This had never happened
transit the canal every year. By 1991,
Canal Commission. My doubts and
before, and for good reason, because, as
when we arrived with the first round the
misgivings were blown away the instant
he explained, a fleet of small boats with
world rally, the gradual transfer of control
I walked into his imposing office. The
limited displacement, would waste far
of the canal operation to Panamanian
first ever Panamanian to be appointed
more fresh water than a large ship for
administration was well underway and
to that important position, Sr Guardia
a tiny fraction of the revenue. When the
was eventually completed in 1999.
was a friendly, affable man who took
time came, we transited with minimum
Having been told that the canal was
me by surprise by his interest in the
delay with the boats being grouped in
working to full capacity and that getting
requirements of a bunch of cruising
the locks in several nests made up of
boats
were
three boats each, a system also used on the other three world rallies that followed, as well as the Hong Kong Challenge, the first round the world race to reach the Pacific via this convenient shortcut.
Abraham Saied, Jimmy Cornell, Doralva Piper, JosĂŠ Miranda
Much has happened in Panama in the intervening years, as I found in October this year on a visit to prepare the transit of the Blue Planet Odyssey in early 2015. From a sleepy place with no building higher than four stories, Panama City now looks like a skyscraping clone of New York, the place is buzzing, and, just as on all my previous visits, the canal is operating at full capacity. The omens didn’t look good, and I was quite pessimistic about how the Blue Planet Odyssey would be received. I couldn’t have been more wrong as, once again, I managed to arrange a meeting with the essential canal officials. Once I had described the nature of the Blue Planet Odyssey and its aims, I was assured that
San Blas
our concerns for the consequences of climate change were widely shared by
enjoys a high degree of autonomy in its
exploitation” splashed across its front
the people of Panama. With the same
internal affairs. All matters of communal
made me understand in an instant
spirit of openness and hospitality that
interest are conducted strictly along
that
I had encountered on every one of my
traditional lines, with all decisions
successors were not their natural heroes.
previous visits to Panama, I was left in no
affecting the Guna population being
Nevertheless I did my best to explain to
doubt that we could count on their full
taken in unanimity, with the women
the two officials present that the Blue
cooperation for the planned transit.
having an equal vote.
Planet Odyssey was an altruistic project
Having repeatedly failed to make contact
and that all we wanted was to highlight
Meeting the Guna
by email with the Guna Congress, I had
the dangers faced by the inhabitants of
Not far from the Panama Canal Authority
no choice but to show up without an
the San Blas Islands as a result of climate
are the offices of the Guna Congress. This
appointment. I was received politely by
change. The Guna are very much aware of
ethnic minority that inhabits the San Blas
the Congress secretary Arnoldo Bonilla,
the real threat posed to their low-lying
Island, who recently changed the spelling
but the sight of a T-shirt pinned to
islands, and gradually I detected a slight
of their name to its phonetic version,
the wall with “500 years of blood and
change in their response, indicating that
the
conquistadors
and
their
they may be prepared to give us the benefit of the doubt. Although Sr Bonilla made it quite clear that they’ve had too many do-gooders (his expression) show up with offers of help in the recent past, almost without exception they all came with a hidden agenda. I could well understand their initial suspicion and was greatly relieved when, at the end of our conversation, agreed that we should stay in contact. He also advised me to get in touch nearer the time of our arrival in early 2015, and keep them informed of the Blue Planet Odyssey’s progress. San Blas will be the first of the threatened areas along the Blue Planet Odyssey route and will serve as the meeting point for the boats that had started from either Martinique or Miami. The San Blas With John Halley at Shelter Bay Marina
Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 13
In 1914 the first canal was described as the eighth wonder of the world. By that same token, the new canal will certainly qualify as the ninth” programme will be defined nearer the time but one of the highlights of our stay will be a visit to the Guna Museum at Carti Sugdup, one of the main settlements. At the meeting with the Panama Canal officials it was agreed that in order to expedite the transit of the Blue Planet Odyssey fleet, from San Blas we shall proceed to Shelter Bay Marina to make the necessary formalites and preparations. From Panama City, I therefore drove across the isthmus to the Caribbean side for a meeting with Sr Carlos Valencia, the owner of the marina. Once again, the nature of our event must have made an impression as he generously agreed to host us, leaving all practical matters in the hands of John Halley, the marina manager. Having known each other for many years, it took no time at all to agree with John on our various requirements. Mission accomplished! The New Canal Some old friends, Dave Wilson and Sandra Snyder, arrived in Panama on their yacht from California in the 1980s and liked the place so much that they swallowed the anchor and became permanent residents. Sandra has written Living in Panama for expats relocating to Panama, while Dave wrote Transiting the Panama Canal in a Small Vessel, worked on the development of Shelter Bay Marina, and is now a manager for the company building the new Atlantic and Pacific locks. Looking far into the future, the Panamanian authorities, fully supported by the
Lock chamber
population, took the decision to double the current canal’s capacity by building a new set of locks, in other words virtually an entirely new canal. Designed to be used by far
own means. The best equipment has
larger ships than at present, the new locks and their gigantic gates dwarf the existing
been ordered from around the world, the
ones. Pharaonic is the only way to describe this mammoth project taken on by a
project is scheduled to be finished by the
relatively small country and, what is indeed remarkable, entirely financed by Panama’s
middle of 2015 and the huge 5 billion dollars investment is expected to be recuperated ten years after the new canal becomes fully operational. On the last day of my visit, Dave Wilson obtained the necessary permits to take me around the buzzing site, which employs some 10,000 people. I stood in awe on the floor of one lock chamber looking up at its 30 metre high walls the size of a large cathedral. Next year will mark the centenary of the opening of the first canal in 1914 and, at that time, it was described as the eighth wonder of the world. By that same token, the new canal will certainly qualify as the ninth.
Set of new locks on the Pacific side
14 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
Southern Route Provisional route And schedule 2014-2015 The world has seen many changes since the first round the globe rally circled the planet in 1991-1992, the number of sailors undertaking long voyages has more than doubled and cruising boats have reached some of the remotest parts of the world. It has been therefore quite a challenge to devise a route that does justice to both the nature and aims of the Blue Planet Odyssey. The following schedule is only meant as a basic planning framework as the details of visits to some of the more remote or less frequented places can only be confirmed at a later date.
2014 Miles London – Lanzarote (Canary Islands)* 12 Jul 1500 (as part of the European Odyssey) New York – Annapolis* 3 Oct 240 Annapolis rendezvous 9 – 13 Oct Norfolk, VA – St Martin 1 Nov 1360 Lanzarote – Martinique 16 Nov 2800 (as part of the Atlantic Odyssey) Miami to Havana* 28 Dec 195 2015 Miles Cuba – Porvenir (San Blas Islands) 11 Jan 1080 Martinique – Porvenir 11 Jan 1120 San Blas stopover 22 Jan – 3 Feb San Blas – Cristobal 4 Feb 80 Shelter Bay Marina (Panama) stopover 5 – 9 Feb Transit Panama Canal 10 – 14 Feb San Diego - Baquerizo Moreno (Galapagos)* 1 Feb 2620 Panama – Baquerizo Moreno: pursuit 12 - 16 Feb 910 Baquerizo Moreno stopover 19 Feb – 2 Mar To Puerto Ayora 3 Mar 50 Puerto Ayora stopover 4 – 9 Mar [Easter Island alternative route**] Galapagos – Hiva Oa (Marquesas) 10 Mar 2980 Cruise Marquesas Taiohae (Nuku Hiva) rendezvous 15 Apr Cruise Tuamotus 20 Apr – 3 May San Francisco – Papeete (Tahiti)* 14 Apr 2740 Papeete (Tahiti) rendezvous 5 May Tahiti stopover 5 – 9 May Cruise Society Islands 10 – 19 May Bora Bora rendezvous 20 - 22 May Bora Bora – Palmerston (Cook Islands) 23 May 680 Palmerston stopover 28 May – 3 Jun [Tokelau - Tuvalu alternative route***] Palmerston – Niue: pursuit 31 May – 3 Jun 390 Niue stopover 3 – 7 Jun Niue – Vava’u (Tonga): pursuit 5 – 8 Jun Vava’u stopover 8 – 15 Jun Savusavu (Fiji) rendezvous 28 - 30 Jun Cruise Fiji 28 Jun – 14 Jul Musket Cove (Malololailai) rendezvous 15 Jul Musket Cove – Tanna (Vanuatu) 18 Jul 520 Tanna stopover 22 – 26 Jul Cruise Vanuatu 27 Jul – 11 Aug Luganville (Santo) rendezvous 12-15 Aug Santo – Mackay 18 Aug 1080 Mackay stopover 25 Aug – 4 Sep Cruise Great Barrier Reef 5 – 25 Sep Thursday Island rendezvous 26 Sep
**Easter Island route Puerto Ayora (Galapagos) – Easter Island Easter Island – Pitcairn – Mangareva (Gambier Islands) – pursuit Cruise Tuamotus Papeete (Tahiti) rendezvous ***Tokelau - Tuvalu route Palmerston – Suwarrow: pursuit Suwarrow stopover Suwarrow – Tokelau: pursuit Tokelau – Funafuti (Tuvalu): pursuit Funafuti stopover Cruise Tuvalu Tuvalu – Ndende (Solomon Islands): pursuit Cruise Solomon Islands Honiara – Cairns (Australia): pursuit Cairns stopover Cruise Great Barrier Reef Thursday Island rendezvous Indian Ocean Torres Strait – Saumlaki (Indonesia) Cruise Indonesia Singapore rendezvous Cruise Western Malaysia Phuket (Thailand) rendezvous Thailand stopover
2015 Miles 10 Mar
1930
28 Mar 23 Apr – 3 May 5 May
1420
31 May – 3 Jun 3 – 10 Jun 8 – 10 Jun 15 – 19 Jun 20 – 27 Jun 28 Jun – 12 Jul 10 – 12 Jul 22 Jul – 16 Aug 17 – 19 Aug 25 Aug – 9 Sep 10 – 25 Sep 26 Sep
290 570 735
1065 1220
27 Sep 680 5 – 27 Oct 28 – 31 Oct 1 – 20 Nov 21 – 23 Nov 21 Nov – 2 Jan
The schedule for 2016 will be announced later. The European start in London, and the subsequent voyage to the Canary Islands, has been incorporated in the European Odyssey, a new rally calling at ports in France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, before finishing at Lanzarote. The transatlantic passage from the Canary Islands to Martinique will be sailed as part of the Atlantic Odyssey. Boats starting from New York have a rendezvous planned at Annapolis, which will coincide with the annual boat show. From Annapolis, they can either continue south and join a number of other boats for the Miami start on 28 December, or leave from Norfolk for the Eastern Caribbean on 1 November. After the finish in St Martin, they will join the European starters in Martinique, from where they will sail on to the San Blas Islands (Panama) on 11 January.
*Primary starting locations
Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 15
Northern Route
Provisional route and schedule 2014 The suggested route changes have been dictated by the need to be on station and ready to commence a transit of the Northwest Passage by 20 July. Date Miles London – Peterhead 1 Jun 420 Peterhead – Kirkwall (Orkney) 7 Jun 120 Kirkwall – Christian Sound 11 Jun 1250 [Oban – Christian Sound 12 Jun 1240] Cruise Southern Greenland 20 – 28 Jun Nuuk stopover 29 Jun – 4 Jul Nuuk – Sisimiut 5 Jul 180 Depending on the state of ice, there are three main route options from Sisimiut: A. Sisimiut – Upernavik 10 July 360 Upernavik stopover 11 – 15 July A.1 Upernavik – Pond Inlet 16 July 400 A.2 Upernavik – Lancaster Sound/Resolute Bay 16 July 650 B. Sisimiut – Pond Inlet
15 July
620
C. Sisimiut – Lancaster Sound/Resolute Bay
15 July
920
Pursuit legs Some of the legs either starting from a port or anchorage with limited capacity, or finishing in such a location, will be run as a pursuit, with the boats starting on their own and not in a group. Communications with the rest of the fleet will continue as per the usual procedure.
Cruising legs In all attractive cruising grounds along the route, participants will be able to explore the area on their own. For safety and logistical reasons, they are expected to continue keeping in touch with the rest of the fleet via the daily reporting schedule.
Rendezvous ports At the end of a cruising leg the fleet will meet at a designated port and will continue together to the next destination. When two cruising legs succeed each other, participants have the option to skip the intermediate rendezvous but must inform the organisers of their decision.
16 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
Resolute Barrow
NORTHWEST PASSAGE
Gjøa
ALASKA
Nuuk
Dutch Harbor Vancouver
NORTH AMERICA San Francisco
St John's New York Norfolk
San Diego Jamaica Panama Tokelau
Marquesas Tahiti Gambier Pitcairn SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN
Bermuda Miami Havana
Cabo Hawaii
Halifax
Galapagos
St Mar
Martin San Blas Cayenne SOUTH AMERICA
Rio de Janeiro Easter Island
Reykjavik
EUROPE
London Cherbourg Azores
La Coruna Porto Lisbon Rabat
Sevastopol Gibraltar
Malta Olympia Port Said
nique
Osaka
Shanghai
NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN
Hong Kong
Lanzarote
rtin
ASIA
Salalah AFRICA
Cape Verde
Djibouti
Phuket Cochin Maldives
Belém
Guam
Andaman Galle Singapore
INDIAN OCEAN
Tuvalu
Torres
Salvador
Cairns Mackay
St Helena AUSTRALIA Cape Town
African start Australian start North American Atlantic return routes North American Pacific return routes
Fiji Vanuatu
Tonga
Sydney Auckland
SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN Southern route Northern route North American Atlantic starts North American Pacific starts Southern route alternative Easter Island route
Micronesia
Philippines
NEW ZEALAND
SOUTHERN OCEAN
ANTARCTICA
Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 17
St Petersburg
Hamburg London Cherbourg
EUROPE
Lorient
Sevastopol
La Coruna Porto Lisbon Gibraltar Rabat
AFRICA
Hamburg Jimmy Cornell
D
O
European Odyssey S
EU
Arrecife
R
E OP
YS
AN
SEY
ailors planning to sail from
engaged in business with the world ever
tradition and 2014 has been declared the
Northern
the
since it joined the Hanseatic League
year of water sports, with the European
Canaries or Mediterranean
trading bloc in the Middle Ages. The first
Odyssey foremost among the events
now have the opportunity to
link with the City of London was recorded
planned for that summer. The start will
join the European Odyssey as it makes
in 1282, and the privileges granted to
be given in the very heart of the city from
its way south with stops in the United
the Hanseatic site called the Steelyard,
where the yachts will sail down the Elbe
Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal and
were confirmed by King Edward I in 1303.
to the open sea.
Morocco. Starting from Hamburg in
Hamburg prides itself on its maritime
Europe
to
July 2014, the yachts in the European Odyssey will sail across the North Sea to Hamburg’s twin, the City of London. Here they will join the start of the Blue Planet Odyssey round the world rally. Hamburg This busy port on the River Elbe describes itself as “the gateway to the world”. This is not an exaggerated claim as Germany’s second-largest city and biggest port has
18 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
London
Cherbourg London The European Odyssey will be docked in one of the marinas along the River Thames. With a vast choice of attractions as well as free entry to all national museums and galleries, a visit to London on your own yacht will leave a lasting memory. A spectacular send-off for the European Odyssey is planned on the River Thames where the iconic Tower Bridge will be raised to send the yachts on their way to Cherbourg in Normandy. Cherbourg The French national holiday of 14 July will be spent in this historic port, where a rich programme has been prepared with visits to local attractions, medieval forts and parks, as well as the famous landing beaches of 1944. Once a major port for transatlantic voyages, Cherbourg prides itself on a vast museum housed in the former sea terminal, where visitors can board the largest nuclear submarine, make a virtual expedition to the bottom of the ocean, and wonder at the evolution of underwater exploration vehicles. Lorient For sailors based on the French Atlantic coast an alternative start is also planned in the Breton port of Lorient. Set at the heart of the so-called Sailing Valley that stretches from Brest to Vannes, Lorient prides itself on having some of the best yachting
Lorient
facilities and services in France. The legendary sailor Eric Tabarly used to be based here and the interactive museum City of Sails is dedicated to his memory. A convivial race takes place every year on the national holiday when vessels of any shape or size take part in a circumnavigation of Groix Island. La Coruña The favourite landfall to crown a successful crossing of the Bay of Biscay, La Coruña is usually described as one long sea front, as indeed the extensive beach dominates this ancient Galician city. In contrast to its old quarters, the new National Museum of Science and Technology is a masterpiece of modern architecture, and a bold homage to Spain’s technological heritage. La Coruña’s latest marina will be a convenient base to explore this remote part of Spain famous for its seafood and distinctive wine grown on the slopes of the nearby Rias Baixas, the deep estuaries that are a feature of the wild Atlantic coast.
Porto Settled on the banks of the River Douro, the roots of this splendid medieval town go back to Roman times. Porto’s historic centre is the Ribeira district, a Unesco World Heritage Site of elegant plazas, old houses of commerce, baroque churches, and Roman ruins poking out from beneath their foundations. As the birthplace of port wine, aficionados the world over are drawn to the scores of bodegas on the riverside of Vila Nova de Gaia, with tempting lodges open for tastings. In summer, Porto’s musical tradition brings together top rock, jazz and pop artists. Lisbon Spread across the steep hillsides that overlook the River Tagus, Portugal’s capital is a jumble of medieval monasteries, grand palaces, Gothic cathedrals and riverside docks. For those who wish to discover the soul of this vibrant city, it is in the narrow lanes and quaint back streets where the true Lisbon is hidden. Bright yellow trams wind their way through narrow streets to old quarters and a village-like atmosphere with cafes tucked away in tiny squares. In the hilltop district of Bairro Alto, the streets are lined with restaurants, bars and night clubs, but the places to seek out are those where original fado is still being played, the traditional melancholic singing that leaves no heart untouched. La Coruña Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 19
From Lisbon, boats bound for the Mediterranean will sail to Gibraltar, while those bound for the Canaries will head for Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Gibraltar At the crossroads of two seas and two continents, Gibraltar’s unique position as the gateway to the Mediterranean has given it an importance far exceeding its small size and population. The massive rock contains some of the most extensive military fortifications in Europe, spanning over 1200 years of Moorish, Spanish and British history. Very few yachts passing through fail to stop at one of its two marinas, whether to wait for favourable conditions to continue their voyage or to take advantage of Gibraltar’s duty-free status, which ensures low prices on many goods, from electronics to whisky. Rabat Compared with other parts of Morocco where tourism is thriving, the country’s capital with its attractive colonial architecture and palm-lined boulevards has preserved a quiet dignity. Rabat has a long and rich history, and plenty of monuments to show for it from the Phoenician, Roman, French and Almohad times. The ancient medina is a place of surprises, whether for sightseeing or shopping, while the picturesque kasbah, with its narrow alleys, art galleries and ocean views, is also worth exploring. Lanzarote There are few islands in the world that have such a distinctive character as Lanzarote. Instantly recognizable wherever you go,
Lisbon
the colours of black, white and green give a special unity to the island; black volcanic rock, dazzling whitewashed houses with
Landfall in the Canaries will be at the new Marina Lanzarote.
bright green painted doors and windows. There is an African feel
Those who intend to cross the Atlantic later in the year will
to the villages, which is not surprising as the island is the closest
benefit from special long term discounts on docking as well as
of all the Canary Islands to the African coast, barely 55 miles at
haulout fees. Further incentives will be offered to those who
the nearest point.
wish to join the Atlantic Odyssey I to Martinique, starting from Lanzarote on 16 November 2014 or the Atlantic Odyssey II to Grenada starting from La Palma on 8 January 2015.
Porto
Gibraltar
Lanzarote Start Miles Hamburg – London
3 July
420
London – Cherbourg
12 July
170
Cherbourg – La Coruña
20 July
470
[Lorient – La Coruña
21 July
350]
La Coruña – Porto
29 July
145
Porto – Lisbon
5 August
150
[Lisbon – Gibraltar
12 August
295]
Lisbon – Rabat
12 August
320
Rabat – Lanzarote
20 August
460
From 2015, the European Odyssey will expand to attain a wider European dimension featuring starts from St Petersburg in the Baltic Sea to Istanbul, Odessa and Sevastopol in the Black Sea. More details on www.europeanodyssey.org Rabat
In London the Atlantic Odyssey will join the start of the Blue Planet Odyssey” Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 21
Diana Doyle
Focus Your Cameras
on Seabirds I
If you’ve sailed anywhere in the North Atlantic, you’re
Seabirds are the last frontier of birding and are poorly
probably familiar with northern gannets, large white
documented. These elusive birds, which spend most of their lives
seabirds with black-tipped wings that feed with dramatic
at sea, are under dire pressure right now from pollution, fishing,
plunge-dives.
and climate change. All this is happening at a critical time when
Last year, a northern gannet showed up at California’s Farallon
the ocean’s currents, temperatures, and ice layers are shifting. So scientists and conservation groups need your sightings.
Islands—if you missed the import of that, on the Pacific Ocean. How did it ever get there? Scientists speculate it may have
As Blue Planet Odyssey participants sail these under-surveyed
travelled through the now-open waters of the Northwest
areas, they are in a unique opportunity to make a contribution.
Passage, a vagrancy made possible by climate change.
Each vessel is what scientists call a “ship of opportunity.” You are valuable eyes on the water, to report seabirds, marine mammals,
A few years ago, a New Zealand storm petrel—thought to
sea turtles, and marine debris.
be extinct since 1850—landed on a fishing boat and was photographed. That led to the subsequent discovery of its
Digital cameras have transformed citizen science. Now everyone
nesting colony, and the bird is now protected as a critically
can document and share their sightings, and scientists receive
endangered species. Even more astounding, a new species of
verifiable reports. Fortunately, you may be able to adapt what you
seabird was recently discovered off Puerto Montt, Chile, sighted
already own, or purchase one of the new portable super-zoom
from a cruise ship.
cameras for less than a few hundred dollars. Ideally a camera
22 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
should have the following three components: 1) zoom capability, 2) vibration reduction, and 3) geo-tagging (automatic recording of lat-long, which is optional). Geotagged photographs are the big deal. They are the best way to ensure that observations are documented and that identifications are vetted. When you get to port, and have hot-and-cold running Internet, we will help with or confirm the identifications using a network of expert volunteer reviewers. Only then will sightings be logged into eBird, a global database managed by Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology (www.ebird.org). With your permission and credit, your photographs also can contribute to a new crowdsourced social field guide, called BirdFellow (www.birdfellow. com). Seabirds need you. With the BPO fleet traveling through regions with almost no eBird reports, this is a particularly exciting and unique opportunity. Imagine if a Blue Planet vessel photographed an out-of-range Atlantic or Pacific seabird along the Northwest Passage? That would be big stuff for the riddle of out-of-range seabirds and the implications of climate change. So let’s focus those cameras on seabirds! A full version of this article with practical tips for sailors is published on the Blue Planet Odyssey website. Diana Doyle and her husband Mark live aboard a PDQ 34 power catamaran, from which they produce their On the Water Chart Guides series of cruising guides and electronic charts for the U.S. Atlantic Coast. An avid birder, Diana is the founder of the SeaBC Sea Bird Count, writes for birding magazines, and is a department editor for American Birding Association.
Imagine if a Blue Planet vessel photographed an out-of-range Atlantic or Pacific seabird along the Northwest Passage
Many of us really appreciate having a single sideband ham radio aboard
Kathy Parsons
Women and Cruising F or more than 10 years, several
work for different people. We suggest
women friends and I have
experimenting with several remedies and
been conducting “Women
techniques, and we all have certain things
and Cruising” seminars at
we do before a passage to minimize
boat shows and cruising conferences.
the seasickness triggers: for example,
Our stated goal has been to give women,
preparing meals in advance, organizing
and especially women new to cruising,
supplies in the cockpit to minimize
an opportunity to ask questions and to
rooting around in lockers early in the
voice their concerns about cruising. When
voyage, and eliminating boat odours.
we do these seminars, two or three of us
Steering the boat and staying hydrated
always respond to each issue, because
also help during the voyage.
our ultimate goal is to help women find
After seasickness, the next most common
their own unique way. Sometimes, Pam
questions relate to fears that women have
Wall and Beth Leonard and I all agree in
about cruising. They want to know how
our reply to a question, but just as often,
we stay healthy and how to get medical
we have different answers. Whereas I
care if we don’t, and whether cruising is
might say “I would always…”, Pam might
safe, i.e. concerns about security, piracy
say “I would never...” There are many,
and crime. The big surprise is that this
many ways to organize life aboard to
is typically the first answer that we
best suit your own interests, skills, needs,
all agree on: we tend to feel safer out
shipmates and situation.
cruising than we do ashore.
Each seminar is different, yet over time
We are certainly much healthier! Living
there are questions that are raised over
an active, healthy lifestyle, seems to
and over again. The question most often
make us less susceptible to all the
raised is about seasickness. Landlubbers
pollution, colds and flu that plague
tend to think that people who take to
overstressed landlubbers confined inside
the sea must be people with stomachs
buildings. Also, medical care in many
of iron who never get queasy. In reality,
of the countries we cruise, or places
among the majority of cruising couples,
we might worry about, have different
often one person is susceptible, the other
standards from those to which we are
immune. A lengthy discussion ensues
accustomed, but generally prove to be
because different seasickness remedies
quite good and inexpensive. Many of us
24 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
Perhaps the biggest unspoken fear is: “What if something happens to my partner?”
The happiness of sailing as a family
have had occasion to appreciate our decision to have a single sideband/ham radio aboard as a means to get medical advice while still at sea or to find out ahead of time the name of a good doctor in the next port. The one area where we always advise caution is sun exposure. Living outdoors as much as we do, with direct sunlight and sun reflected off the water, we must protect our skin with hats, sunscreen, clothing, bimini tops and sunshades. If you ever see someone anchored near you sunbathing on deck, you know they are likely either charterers or guests. Cruisers don’t sunbathe! As for security concerns, again we generally feel safer cruising than ashore. Certainly, there have been incidents of piracy, thefts on the water and in the boatyard, but we are much less susceptible to crime when we are cruising than when we are on land. It is human nature to be more fearful of the unknown risks, such as piracy, than the known risks that we face on land every day, such as muggers or traffic. On land, we take the appropriate precautions to go on living our lives, so it is the same when cruising. Once you have a sense of what the areas of concern are, you take the appropriate precautions. We share the many ways that we have learnt: how safe is the next destination and what precautions we take, such as, not flaunting money or jewelery ashore, being vigilant when using ATMs, locking the dinghy, avoiding areas that are experiencing problems, plus being respectful of local mores. There are so many wonderful cruising areas without serious crime issues, that we are more than happy to avoid the areas where we might not feel safe today, such as Venezuela.
We have engaged with the larger human community Yvonne and Bernie Katchor
Other fears raised in the seminars concern night sailing, sailing out of sight of land, and weathering storms at sea. In terms of
it: sighting a moonbow, trails of phosphorescence sparkling in
practical advice, we talk about properly stowing a boat, night
our boat’s wake, skies studded with stars as big as chocolate
watches, protecting night vision, making prompt and prudent
chips, meteor showers, shooting stars, Northern lights, and the
sail decisions, and learning to understand area weather patterns.
magical night when a dolphin jumped over the moon.
The overall perspective of our answer is to share how seldom
Perhaps the biggest unspoken fear is: “What if something
we actually experience storms at sea, and then we each tell our
happens to my partner?” The short answer is that you need to be
stories about the unique joys of night sailing after we relax into
prepared to take over if your partner becomes incapacitated: to be able to call for help, navigate, and make the boat manageable
Marlena and Brandi with mums
to singlehand to safety. We discuss the key skills that each partner needs in order to respond to emergencies, and how best to acquire them. This discussion leads to a bigger realization: it just doesn’t work to be a passenger aboard! When the man is the one with the dream, and the woman is hesitant, too often the man sells his partner on cruising as a vacation: “Don’t worry, dear, I will take care of everything.” Not only does this lead to the woman being more nervous about sailing, because she doesn’t understand the boat, weather or navigation, but the husband may not have equipped the boat in ways that make it realistic for her to operate (electric winches, doubled-handed winch handles, etc.). She then tends to feel helpless and removed from the adventure of cruising together as a team. Lacking the knowledge and boat-
Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 25
handling skills, the woman can feel out of control, leading to a quick downward spiral of self-confidence. Although we certainly have our days of perfect sails, sandy beaches, and rum drinks, cruising isn’t a vacation; it’s a lifestyle, all day, every day, for however long you’re out there. Just as it is ashore, there is tedium and frustration, problems to solve, days that don’t go as planned. If a woman has been sold on cruising as a vacation, she is likely to feel misled when the inevitable frustrations occur. The man aboard just can’t take care of all the problems aboard; it takes a team working together to find the best solutions. In reality, cruising is so much more than a vacation. When we become engaged in it, cruising changes our lives. It makes us more capable, more knowledgeable of the world and its people, more fit, more courageous, more confident, richer in friendships, and less preoccupied with insignificant trivia. The time and
How we provision
palette of the cruising life can lead us to discover or to develop new interests that we never had the time to pursue while in
We always get at least one question about relationships. Women
full-time careers and/or parenthood. Many cruising women have
ask, “What is it like to live 24/7 with another person on a boat?”
discovered or further developed their talents as writers, painters,
Our answers vary because we each have differing needs for
jewelers, birdwatchers, bloggers, photographers, or musicians
personal space. I personally like to go ashore alone and take a
while aboard and abroad.
walk, engage in some recreational shopping in port, or take a
In the seminars, we talk a lot about skills: women have lots of
dinghy ride around the anchorage. We also find that it is easier
questions about how much each person needs to know about
than you might think to create a quiet personal space aboard
sailing, navigation, maintenance, and weather. Women are often
and become immersed in writing, reading, or other favorite
surprised to hear what many of us have learned: often, the
activity. The bigger answer is that this experience of being a
best person to be at the helm is the woman. Let the man raise
team sharing such a grand adventure can strengthen a couple’s
and lower the anchor, and handle the dock lines and halyards -
or family’s relationship.
areas that require more physical strength. Women make good
As Nadine Slavinski wrote about cruising with her husband and
helmspersons!
son, “Cruising had been a chance for us all to work toward a
We also suggest that women help other cruising women: if you
common goal and thereby deepen our bonds.”
see a woman who is hesitant to drive the dinghy alone, take her
Many women are concerned about the mechanics of living
out and teach her; teaching someone a skill often improves your
aboard: “How do we… get our mail, pay our bills, get money,
own skill. If you are that hesitant woman, ask another woman to
keep in touch with family and friends back home, do our laundry,
teach you. Many cruising friendships are developed as cruisers
provision, keep clean, get our prescription medicines, and so
share information and help each other. Thus, we become a
on?” Of course, there is no room here to share with you all our
community. The floating classsroom
Women make good helmspersons answers, but if you would like a copy of
Bonds with our partners and families are
the handouts from the seminar with many
strengthened, as we share an incredible
of our suggestions, email me at kathy@
set of memories. We have engaged with
cornellsailing.com, and be sure to visit
the natural world and with the larger
our website, www.womenandcruising.
human community as well, giving us
com for a boatload of FAQ’s, resources,
a greater sense of our place on this
articles, photos, and good advice.
water planet. The fact that we found
Ironically, women tell us that they
the courage to live this one particular
leave the seminar with answers to an
dream – of sailing the world – gives us
important question that they seldom
the courage to pursue our other dreams,
explicitly ask: “What’s in it for me?” It is
whatever they may be.
difficult for us to talk about our cruising lives without enthusiasm and gratitude.
Kathy Parsons is the founder of the website
We have developed friendships, with
www.womenandcruising.com and author of
both other cruisers and the people who
the bestselling language guides Spanish
live in the ports we visit, that we will
for Cruisers and French for Cruisers.
carry with us for the rest of our lives.
Around the world in your seventies
Travelling with our two young children, Doina and Ivan, coloured our journey continually. In most parts of the Pacific, the extended family system flourishes and children are regarded with special love and affection. Often on leaving an island, we were brought gifts of fruit and drinking coconuts, the donor invariably saying they were ‘for the children’. Being a family unit made a difference to how we were accepted into a new community. We were a social unit that everyone recognised; it made us more normal and ordinary, a contrast to the usual officials or visitors who flew in and quickly flew out again.” Gwenda Cornell Extract from Pacific Odyssey
Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 27
News from the BPO
Explorers
The Blue Planet Odyssey fleet continues
tourists. Everyone should be concerned with
to grow, as we welcome onboard
changing climate conditions and the effect
several new entries, and as you can read
that these are having on many countries in
below, these sailors bring a wonderful
the world and we welcome the opportunity
enthusiasm that will only serve to enrich
to raise awareness of this issue.”
the Blue Planet Odyssey even further. As
Jeff and Anne Posner
Rob and Carol Harvey
2013 draws to a close, the 2014 starts in
Justin
London, Miami and elsewhere are rapidly
Dunning have over 20,000 miles
approaching, and people are firming up
on the water between them, and have
their plans of where they plan to join the
been living aboard together for 3 years.
fleet, and preparing their boats for long
They’ll be sailing aboard their new Baba
distance cruising.
40, Coconut Woman and plan to finally
Smith
and
Meredith
exchange vows in the Caribbean before After years of sailing on the Baltic,
the start of the BPO.
Mediterranean, North Sea, Caribbean, and
“The reasons that brought us to the Blue
the Atlantic, Jeff and Anne Posner
Planet Odyssey are the same reasons that
planned to begin their retirement years
brought us together in the first place:
living on their boat Joyful, a Wauquiez 40,
sailing, education, and helping out in any
while cruising in various parts of the world.
way we can. We are particularly excited to
“Our goals were to do good works for others,
play an active role in raising awareness of
contribute to scientific endeavors, and
our changing oceans via interaction with
support the education of the youth at home
people from around the world, and we look
and abroad as we cruised. Accordingly, we
forward to creating a legacy we can be
were absolutely delighted to hear that the
proud of for both our present and future
Blue Planet Odyssey’s goals are an ideal
families.”
match with ours. What sealed our decision to participate in the BPO was that Jimmy
When they first heard about the Blue
Cornell was orchestrating the rally. We are
Planet Odyssey, Jerry Schuster and
looking forward to contributing to the goals
Ginny Malmquist thought, “How
of the BPO in all ways possible and making
nice for those people!”, but as Ginny
lifelong friends of fellow participants and
prepared for retirement from her career
peoples from the countries along the route.”
as a counselor, she realized it was now or never.
Justin Smith and Meredith Dunning
Jerry Schuster and Ginny Malmquist 28 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
Rob and Carol Harvey are sailing
“We bought our first boat, Heron Reach,
on Maggie, a Passport 470. They started
a 1987 J40, a little over a year ago. Jerry
sailing eleven years ago after they both
has been a build it/fix it person doing
retired.
everything from R & D on the Apache
“Sailing was to be both an adventure
helicopter to now running the greenest car
and an opportunity for continual learning,
mechanic’s shop in Washington State. We
as well as an opportunity to see some
have actively worked to raise awareness
of the world’s great sailing locations. A
about climate change in our community
circumnavigation, however, was only a
of Bellingham, WA and have been active
distant dream. The BPO sounded like the
in our local Transition Movement. Our log
perfect opportunity to sail safely in a
home sits on 20 forested acres, 10 miles
well organized and planned event with
from the Canadian border and 18 miles
like-minded sailors, including one of the
from the Salish Sea (aka, Puget Sound). We
world’s foremost sailing authorities on
will miss being so connected to the land,
circumnavigations. At the same time it
but we’re looking forward to a completely
would allow us to be more than just
different and wonderous world on the sea.”
Blue Planet Odyssey Confirmed Participants List TBA = to be announced Boat Name
Design/LOA
Owner
Country
Route
Start
1
Arctic Monkey
Exploration 45
Lou & Zetty Morgan
USA
Northern
London
2
Aventura IV
Exploration 45
Jimmy Cornell
GBR
Northern
London
3
Chapter Two
Lagoon 45
Paul Hart
USA
Southern
Miami
4
Coconut Woman
Baba 40
Justin Smith & Meredith Dunning
USA
Southern
Miami
5
Eva
Eva 56
Julie & Claude Borel-Saladin
RSA
Southern
Caribbean
6
FarAway
Pearson 367
Lou & Trish Reynolds
USA
Southern
Panama
7
Festina Lente
Discovery 55
Nick Pochin
GBR
Northern
London
8
Gémeaux
Fountain-Pajot Helia 44
Éric & Patricia Frangeul
FRA
Southern
Canary Islands
9
Gusto
Custom Chuck Paine 44
Dick Bower
USA
Northern
Maine
10
Heron Reach
J Boat 40
Jerry Schuster & Ginny Malmquist
USA
Southern
Galapagos
11
Imagine
Beneteau First 47
Richard Lednicky & Andrea Van Hoven
USA
Southern
New York
12
Joyful
Wauquiez 40
Jeff & Anne Posner
USA
Southern
Norfolk
13
Khujada 2
Ovni 395
Julian & Albane Smart
GBR
Southern
London
14
Libby
Super Maramu 53
Terry & Dena Singh
USA
Southern
San Diego
15
Living For Wind
Leopard 48
Octaaf & Alma Bulterys
RSA
Southern
Martinique
16
Maggie
Passport 470
Rob and Carol Harvey
CAN
Southern
Martinique
17
Marco Polo
Outremer 55
Jan Michel Pinto da Silva
BRA
Southern
Caribbean
18
No Regrets
Atlantic 42
Tim Liveright/Zeke Holland/ William Hickson
USA
Southern
Miami
19
Odyssea
Beneteau Oceanis 40
Pablo Aguilera
USA
Southern
Miami
20
Pearl Fisher
Oyster 56
Philip Goymour
AUS
Southern
Canary Islands
21
Ransom
Hinckley 49
Tim & Ceci King
USA
Southern
Miami
22
Blue Wind
Wind 44
James Bellini
BRA
Southern
Caribbean
23
Strangetrader
Hallberg Rassy 46
Robert & Andrea Schwamberg
AUS
Southern
Lanzarote
24
Suilven
Oyster 47
John & Linda Andrews
GBR
Northern
Oban
25
Ursa Major
Kadey Krogen 54
Bill & Laurey Stanley
USA
Southern
Miami
26
Whirlwind
German Frers 50
Benjamin Riddle & Joseph Richardson
USA
Southern
Miami
27
TBA
Outremer 49
Francis Compton
USA
Southern
Miami
Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013 • 29
Long Distance Cruising Seminar “We really enjoyed the seminar, and it reinforced our interest and
The weekend gave Blue Planet Odyssey participants their first
desire to be part of the Blue Planet Odyssey. We are thrilled to be
opportunity to meet each other, and the seed was sown for great
a part of the group.”
friendships to come. It was also a chance for less experienced
Rob and Carol Harvey
sailors to be inspired by those having considerable sea miles under their belt.
“Outstanding speakers – superbly qualified, great information and
The 22-23 March seminar will take place at the Cruising
clear presentations.”
Association headquarters in Limehouse Basin, London, with an
Jeff Posner
impressive range of speakers to match the calibre and expertise of the October seminar. Jimmy Cornell’s detailed presentations
Following on from the success of the Long Distance Cruising
on voyage planning and preparation will be complemented
Seminar in October 2013 at the MITAGS maritime centre at
by talks on medical emergencies, weather, communications,
Linthicum, Maryland, a similar event is to be held in London on
downwind sails, cruising couples, and much more.
the weekend of 22 - 23 March 2014. We are pleased to announce that the London seminar will be supported by Le Grand Large Yachting who have been supporters of the Blue Planet Odyssey and Atlantic Odyssey from their inception. Although the seminars are organised as part of the Blue Planet Odyssey programme (each crew is entitled to a free seminar as part of their entry fee), any sailor who is interested may book a place. Of those attending the October seminar, more than half were participants in the Blue Planet Odyssey, representing some 12 boats and nearly all of the North American entries. A packed program of talks filled the two days, ranging from specialist weather information from Lee Chesneau to a hands-on medical session with Dr Laura Sudarsky and Dr Hakan Usal. Jimmy Cornell covered voyage planning in depth, and all aspects of
How to join the seminar
the cruising life were covered from anchoring techniques by
If you would like to book a place, contact
Evans Starzinger to offshore communications by Steve Bowden.
seminar@cornellsailing.com
Richard Hudson painted a vivid picture of high latitudes sailing,
More information and a detailed seminar programme
Beth Leonard gave a revealing insight into how to cruise as
can be found on www.cornellsailing.com
a couple, complemented by Doina Cornell and Pam Wall’s colourful portrait of the ups and downs of cruising as a family. 30 • Blue Planet LOG • Issue 3 • December 2013
The March 2014 Long Distance Cruising Seminar is sponsored by
Blue Planet Log
Editor Jimmy Cornell Managing Editor Doina Cornell Subeditor Gwenda Cornell Graphic Artist Joerg Baginski Maps Mark Silver Contributors Jimmy Cornell, Pascal Guiraudou, Rick Lumpkin, Diana Doyle, Kathy Parsons, Doina Cornell Photographs Pascal Guiraudou (cover, 4-9), Jean Luc Gourmelen (5), NOAA (10-11), Sergiy N (18), Ville de Cherbourg, Port Lorient, Marina Coruña (19), Europhotos (21), jjcopland (21), Diana Doyle, Mark Doyle, Tom Wadlow (22-23), Ellen Sanpere, Kathy Parsons, Alex Blackwell (24-27), Doina Cornell, Kerry Ash, Denise Beck (28-30), Jimmy Cornell (all others)
© Cornell Sailing Events Ltd. 8 Silver Street, Dursley GL11 4ND, United Kingdom Tel. +44 1453 543872
European Odyssey www.europeanodyssey.org info@europeanodyssey.org www.facebook.com/europeanodyssey
Blue Planet Odyssey www.blueplanetodyssey.com info@blueplanetodyssey.com www.facebook.com/BluePlanetOdyssey Follow us on Twitter @sailtheodyssey
Cornell Sailing www.cornellsailing.com info@cornellsailing.com
Atlantic Odyssey www.atlanticodyssey.org info@atlanticodyssey.org www.facebook.com/CornellsAtlanticOdyssey www.facebook.com/pages/Rallye-Atlantic-Odyssey
Seminars seminar@cornellsailing.com Printed by Girzig+Gottschalk GmbH Hannoversche Str. 64 28309 Bremen Germany
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